Index panel with adjustable stop



Dec. 6, 1955 L. M. TOMS 2,725,879

INDEX PANEL WITH ADJUSTABLE STOP Filed Oct. 16. 1952 United StatesPatent ()fiice 2,725,879 l ar-tented Dec. 6, 1955 PANEL WITH ADJUSTABLESTOP Lloyd M. Toms, Crozet, Va., assignor to Acme Visible Records, Inc.,Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application October 16, 1952,Serial No. 315,121

2 Claims. (Cl. 129-16) This invention relates to card index panels ofthe type used in books, filing cabinet drawers and the like for thefiling of index cards in visible, alphabetical or other order, and ismore particularly concerned with card index panels having card carrierelements on which the index cards are slidably, removably supportedagainst a stop member adjustably positioned along the guide elements tofacilitate rearrangement of the cards or expansion or contraction of thecard index system.

This invention further contemplates the provision of an index panelhaving a guide element including spaced parallel flanges slidablyengaging spaced out out tongues formed on index cards arranged inoverlapping relation along the guide element, the group of cards beingengaged against movement along the guide element by means of a stopmember formed from a length of strip spring metal bowed intermediate itsends and extending across the guide element and having a pair oflaterally projecting ends frictionally engaging remote edges of saidspaced parallel flanges.

This invention further contemplates the provision of a resilient stopmember adapted to readily be mounted on or removed from the guideelement of an index panel, the ends of the member being frictionallyengaged to the spaced flanges of the guide element by the force exertedby the bowed medial portion of the member tending to raw the ends towardeach other.

This invention further contemplates the provision of a stop memberformed of resilient spring metal to provide an arcuate body portionhaving depending ears lying in planes converging toward the axis ofcurvature of the body portion.

This invention embodies other novel features, details of constructionand arrangement of parts which are hereinafter set forth in thespecification and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing,wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view illustrating a card index panel andcard stop member embodying features of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the stop member removed from the indexpanel.

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing an index card.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig.1.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of thisinvention, an index panel 6, formed of sheet metal, is provided with apair of spaced parallel card carrier elements 7-7 adapted to slidablyreceive a group of conventional record cards 8 or the like formed withcut out tongues 9-9. Each carrier element 7 is spot welded or otherwisesecured to the panel 6 and formed with inner and outer side flanges 11and 12 spaced outwardly from and parallel to the face of the panel. Inmounting a record card 8 upon the panel 6, the tongues 9-9 are flexedfrom the plane of the card for engagement under thcouter flanges 12-12in a'manner well knowninthis art.-

To-sup'porta group" of overlapping record cards 8" in fixed positionupon thepanel 6, a stop member 14 is adjustably positioned uponthecarrier elements 7-7- for abutting. engagement with'the lower ed e ofthe adjacent record card, as illustrated in Fig. l. The stop member 14is shown as comprising a length of resilient strip metal, such as springsteel, having a bowed body portion 16 and a pair of inturned ears 17-17at the ends thereof to straddle the carrier elements 7-7 and tofrictionally en-v gage the edges of the outer side flanges 12-12.

As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 in the drawing, the ears 17-17 convergefrom the body portion 16 toward the panel 6 and are drawn into tightfrictional engagement with the edges of the outer flanges 12-12 by theclamping force exerted by the body portion. In applying the stop memberonto the outer flanges 12-12 of the carrier elements 7-7, the bowedmedial portion of the stop member is manually pressed toward the face ofthe panel to cause the ears 17-17 to move apart into clamping engagementwith the remote edges of the outer flanges 12-12.

After the stop member has thus been positioned upon the carrierelements, the resilient body portion 16 continues to exert a forcetending to draw the ears 17-17 toward each other into tight engagementagainst their related flanges 12-12. It will be noted that the ears17-17 converge toward the panel 6 with their inner ends spaced apart adistance slightly less than the distance between the remote edges of theflanges 12-12 to prevent accidental displacement of the stop member fromthe panel. To remove the stop member from the panel, either the upper orlower edge of the body portion 16 is lifted away from the panel to pivotthe member about its opposite edge and thus moving the inner edges ofthe ears 17-17 apart and into abutting engagement with the remote edgesof the flanges 12-12, as illustrated in Fig. 5, after which the membermay be lifted from the panel.

While this invention has been shown in but one form, it is obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible ofvarious changes and modifications without departing from the spirit andscope of the claimed invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a record panel having spaced parallel coplanarguide flanges extending along and spaced from one face thereof to engagecut-out tongues of record cards, of a stop member formed from a lengthof thin strip resilient material comprising a body portion normallyarched throughout its length, flat ears at the ends thereof, said earsconverging from the body portion toward the face of the panel in lineclamping engagement against their respective flanges, the end portionsof said body portion engaging said flanges whereby the stop member maybe manually rotated about one of its side edges toward one end of thepanel to disengage the ears from said flanges, said body portion beingmanually flexed from its normally arched shape to a flat shape with theears disposed substantially normal thereto during mounting of the stopmember on said flanges.

2. In combination, a record panel having spaced parallel coplanar guideflanges spaced from one face of the panel to define therewith oppositelyfacing grooves to receive cut-out tongues of record cards, and aresilient stop member of thin strip resilient material comprising flatcars at opposite ends of a body portion, the body portion being normallyarched throughout its length with its end portions engaging saidflanges, and the ears converging from the body portion toward the panelin clamping engagement with remote edges of said flanges, the length ofsaid body portion in a flattened condition being substantially equal tothe distance between remote edges of said flanges, each of said earsbeing disposed at an acute angle of less than 10 to a plane extendingvertically longitudinally centrally of the panel, whereby the bodyportion may be manually rotated about one of its side edges toward oneend of the panel to cause the flanges to spread the free ends of theears apart to disengage the stop member from the flanges, said bodyportion being manually flexed from its normally arched shape to a flatshape with the ears 1O dispose-d substantially normal thereto duringmounting of the stop member on said flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

